Issue 8

September 2011

Cool Energy Savings
New Refrigerator Standards the 'Coolest' Yet

 

Updated refrigerator/freezer standards were announced by DOE on August 25, 2011 reflecting recommendations from a negotiated agreement between industry and efficiency proponents. The standards issued by DOE will increase the energy efficiency of most new refrigerators by 25% starting in 2014. A typical fridge that meets the new standards will use $215-$270 less per year in electricity than a comparable unit which met the first state standards set in 1978.

  

According to DOE, a typical new refrigerator in 2014 will use just over 400 kilowatt hours (kWh) per year, about one-fifth as much electricity as one from the 1970's. On a national basis, the new standards would, over 30 years, save 4.84 quads of energy, or roughly enough to meet the total energy needs of one-fifth of all U.S. households for a year. Over the same period, the standards will save consumers up to $36 billion in reduced energy costs. More details from DOE

 1970's Fridge

If someone had told you in the 1970's that your refrigerator could use one-fifth the energy and do its job just as well, would you have believed them? Likely not - but it's true. State and national appliance standards for refrigerators have spurred greater and greater efficiencies even as manufacturers have increased the size and added new features. The average new fridge today is about 20% larger and costs about 60% less than a 1970's era unit. Check out the graph of the trends here and the fact sheet here. 

More Cool Savings
Central air conditioners, furnaces and heat pumps are all on track to save more energy and to save consumers more money. Condensing gas furnace

In a direct final rule issued in June 2011, DOE set the first ever regional standards acknowledging that all parts of the country are not created equally hot or cold. Standards will be more stringent for furnaces in the colder northern region and for central air conditioners in the hot southern and southwestern regions of the country. National heat pump standards were also updated. This direct rule is based on the 2009 joint recommendations submitted to DOE by efficiency proponents and the manufacturing trade group AHRI (Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute). If the direct final rule is adopted by DOE this fall, the standards will take effect May 1,2013 for non-weatherized furnaces and January 1, 2015 for weatherized furnaces, central air conditioners, and heat pumps. For more info, see the fact sheet and the press release.
California: New Products = Potential Big Savings 
On August 31st, the California Energy Commission (CEC) Efficiency Committee held a daylong workshop to scope out the energy-saving potential of a wide variety of products. Presenters and attendees from CEC, industry and the efficiency community discussed four product areas: consumer electronics, lighting, water-using products and other appliances. 

 

According to a presentation by the California IOUs (Investor-Owned Utilities), if the CEC were to set standards for each of the products discussed, California could eliminate the need for 4 major power plants, reduce energy consumption by 4%, save consumers $1.5 billion per year in avoided energy costs, and create 4000 jobs. How's that for a big scope?  (savings below are for California unless otherwise noted.)

 

Consumer and office electronics:
Digital photo frame
Digital Photo Frame
Computers, servers, set-top boxes, game consoles, imaging equipment and displays such as computer monitors, professional displays and digital photo frames were included in the first panel. Pat Eilert of PG&E noted that the fastest growing plug load is 'other uses' which includes audio and DVD  equipment,imaging equipment and other small devices. These products use 260,000 GWh per year and have the fastest growth rate (51% by 2030). Industry presentations highlighted technological advances that have slowed the growth in energy consumption while adding new features to their products. Efficiency advocates argued that energy efficiency gains could still be improved considerably. For example, some set-top boxes use more than 400kWh of electricity per year, putting it right up there with the home refrigerator. Noah Horowitz of NRDC noted that better designed set-top boxes could yield 50-75% savings. Set-top boxes, game consoles and many of the electronics could benefit from a default power-down feature to decrease energy use when the device is not being used.
 
Lighting: Products discussed included dimming ballasts, multi-faceted reflector
lamps, outdoor lighting, LEDs, bulbs not included in EISA (2007 energy legislation which included lighting standards), and linear fluorescent fixtures. Two products with high savings potential are dimming ballasts and multi-faceted reflectors (MRs). By setting standards for dimming ballasts, California could save 950 GWh/yr and avoid $220 million in annual energy costs once the stock is turned over. For MRs, the annual savings are estimated at 880 GWh/yr and $150 million in avoided energy costs annually. Together, energy savings on these two products is equivalent to the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by nearly 250,000 passenger vehicles in one year. Proposals for LEDs include both performance and quality standards - the former to save energy and the latter to avoid poor quality LEDs from flooding the market (as happened with the earliest CFLs).

 

Water-using products:This category included
Commercial Dishwasher

Commercial Dishwasher

commercial dishwashers, irrigation equipment, plumbing products, and continuous hot water recirculation pumps. Efficiency improvements to these products could save both energy and water. If you've ever seen a sprinkler system working on a rainy day, you can understand how minor improvements such as a rain shutoff device or a rotating sprinkler could save California over 45 billion gallons of water a year. It could also save energy - over 135 GWh a year. Have you ever thought of the waste involved in having hot water the minute you turn your shower or faucet on? Is it worth $250-$500 a year? That's the estimate of Steve Schmidt of PG&E who presented the hidden energy costs of hot water recirculation pumps which are often found in larger homes. The pump circulates hot water through the pipes of a home 24 hours a day with a slight catch - the water is colder when it returns, requiring the water heater to heat it up again. Significant energy and dollar savings could be available with improvements to this system . 

 

Other Appliances: The final group of products included plug-in luminous signs (theLuminous sign type you might see in the window of a store or restaurant), commercial clothes dryers, refrigeration condensing units, and several pool and spa products. For plug-in signs, by specifying a maximum wattage and switching away from on/off pull chains (which often break), California could save about 250 GWh/year and up to $40 million in avoided energy costs once the stock turns over. Establishing minimum performance standards for commercial clothes dryers could save over $2.2 million in electricity and $10.7 million in gas costs annually. Refrigeration condensing unit standards have the potential to save $40 million annually. Pool pump standards currently exist but could be updated to reflect improvements in product efficiency.

 

The CEC plans to review comments in September, approve a new scope and schedule in October, and post the information on its website in November 2011.

 

For more details on each of the products, visit the CEC website where presentations from the Scoping workshop are posted.

Pumps, Hoods, Blowers - What???
Commercial blower

Commercial Blower

What do industrial pumps, set-top boxes, network equipment, fume hoods, blowers, fans, and motors all have in common? No, they aren't part of a new prototype car, but they could be part of DOE's appliance standards agenda if the data they are collecting shows that significant savings are available. DOE has issued RFIs (Request for Information) for commercial and industrial pumps, and non general-purpose motors. This step could be a precursor to a rulemaking for these products. For the remaining products - set-top boxes, network equipment, fume hoods, blowers, and fans, DOE is conducting a determination to decide if savings are significant enough to warrant a rulemaking. In initial documents DOE has proposed that these products should be classified as covered products. We await a final determination.
What's up at DOE?
DOE has been busy in 2011, beginning, continuing, and completing rulemakings and test procedures for more than 20 products.

Dryers/Room Air Conditioners
Final Rule, August 24, 2011
DOE issued standards for dryers and room air conditioners which are identical to theDryer standards in the consensus agreement between industry and efficiency proponents. The updated dryer standards would improve efficiency by 5%, using a new metric - the combined energy factor (CEF) - which incorporates standby energy consumption. The updated room a/c standards would reduce energy consumption by about 11% for the most common units. DOE used a new metric - the combined energy efficiency ratio (CEER) - which incorporates standby energy consumption. The effective dates are June 1, 2014 for room a/c and January 1, 2015 for clothes dryers.
 
Fluorescent Lamp Ballasts
Proposed Rule, April 11, 2011fluorescent lamp ballast
A final rule for fluorescent lamp ballast standards is due by October 28, 2011. In April 2011, DOE issued a proposed rule which they estimated would save 3.7-6.3 quads of energy over 30 years--an amount equivalent to the annual energy use of approximately 18.5 million to 31.5 million homes. The significant potential savings are due in large part to a proposed expansion of scope of coverage. The current standards for fluorescent lamp ballasts only apply to ballasts that are designed to operate certain types of T12 lamps while the market for fluorescent fixtures has largely shifted from T12 systems to T8 systems and increasingly to T5 systems. The proposed rule would expand the scope of coverage to include ballasts that operate T5 and T8 lamps, residential ballasts, and ballasts that operate lamps used in outdoor signs.

Commercial Refrigerators and Freezers
Preliminary Analysis, March 30, 2011

 

Distribution Transformers

Notice of Open Meeting of the Negotiated Rulemaking Working Group, September 9, 2011

Data Availability, August 31, 2011

Preliminary Analysis, March 2, 2011

DOE is in the midst of a rulemaking for medium-voltage dry-type and liquid immersed distribution transformers. DOE will hold a meeting of the Negotiated Rulemaking Working Group on September 15 and 16. The purpose of the group is to discuss, and if possible, reach a consensus on an energy conservation standard proposed rule for distribution transformers. As part of the rulemaking and to support stakeholder negotiations, DOE issued an updated analyis in August. The data includes life-cycle cost and payback period analysis, national impact analysis, and steel supply data.

 

Metal Halide Lamp Fixtures

Preliminary Analysis, April 11, 2011

 

Test Procedure Final Rules
Walk-in coolers and freezers, April 2011 (correction published in June 2011)
Microwave oven, (standby and off mode interim final rule), March 2011

Test Procedure Proposed Rule

Test Procedure Request for Information
Luminaires, August 4, 2011
DOE is evaluating energy efficiency test procedures for luminaires and collecting information regarding the labeling of such products. Luminaires are integrated lighting systems as opposed to individual components such as light bulbs, ballasts, or fixtures.
State of the States
Connecticut was the sole state to pass appliance standards this yus map colorear, moving forward with state standards for DVDs, TVs, and compact audio equipment. The standards were part of a comprehensive energy bill (Bill 1243) signed by the governor in June 2011. Connecticut becomes the second state to adopt television standards and the third state (CA, OR) to adopt standards for DVDs and audio equipment. The new standards are slated to go into effect in January 2014 after going through the state's regulatory process.

Appliance standards bills in Nevada, Texas, and Washington were not passed. The low level of state standards activity this year is partially due to the limited number of products in the standards pipeline that are not already on DOE's rulemaking schedule.
Fun Facts...and More Fun Facts

 

TiVo Set-top box
TiVo set-top box

Fun Facts: The correct answers are a and b respectively. According to DOE, 71% of U.S. households have a set-top box and 69% have an internet connection. The number of households using set-top boxes and network equipment is approximately 82 million. This amounts to 24.8 billion kilowatt hours or an average of 300 kilowatt hours per household. This makes set-top boxes and network equipment near the top of the list of energy-hungry appliances in the average home.Money down the toilet

 

More Fun Facts: The correct answer is d. An amazing 13.6% of indoor water use in single family homes is due to leaky toilets and dripping faucets - and this only includes flows that are detected by meters. The actual number could be much larger since some water meters don't detect low levels of water flow. NRDC recommends improving the accuracy of water service meters to alert consumers to potential waste.

Send Us Feedback

What would you like to hear more about in upcoming issues?

a. Industrial and Commercial Equipment

b. Residential products 

c. Lighting

d. Water-saving products
e. DOE Rules
f. State Activity
g. Related topics (please specify) 

 

We'd love to hear from you with feedback about the newsletter and the work we do. Please send along your ideas, comments, or suggestions to:

Marianne DiMascio, Appliance Standards Awareness Project

[email protected]

www.appliance-standards.org
 781-312-8999

In This Issue
Your Parents Would Be Amazed by the Electric Bill for Your Fridge
More Cool Savings
California Scopes Out the Next Energy Savers
Pumps, Hoods, Blowers, What???
What's Up at DOE?
State of the States
Fun Facts: How many cable boxes in the U.S.?
More Fun Facts: Water Waste
"Future appliance standards could eliminate growth in residential sector energy use through 2035"
EIA May 2, 2011  

 

Coming This Fall! 
New Report From ASAP/ACEEE

 

The latest on standards, new products, and national and state savings estimates  for over  25 products.

 

Help is Here for Lighting Choices
  
Check out the new website at:

LUMEN is a ad-hoc coalition of organizations and professionals united to educate consumers about energy-efficient lighting choices and the benefits of today's energy-efficient lighting products.

 
Associated Press article describes how energy efficiency plays a key role in lower power demand
Fun Facts
According to DOE, what percentage of U.S. households have a set-top box (box from a cable company for TV, movies, internet, etc)

 

a. 71%
b. 58%
c. 60%
d. 95%

 

How many total set-top boxes in U.S. households? 

 

a. 100 million

b. 82 million

c. 67 million

d. 48 milion

 

See answers below  

More Fun Facts
According to the American Water Works Association, what percentage of indoor water use is due to leaky toilets and dripping faucets?Water Saving Toilet

 

a. 3%
b. 5%
c. 10%
d. 13%

 

See answers below